Gęčokaxʔa
Gęčokaxʔa, literally "our language", is a polysynthetic language. Phonology Consonants Consonants are romanised as in IPA unless stated otherwise. /ɧ/ may be labialised. /ɬ/ is voiced to /l/ when next to a voiced consonant. Vowels Ogoneks indicate nasal vowels. Diphthongs consist of any vowel+i or u. /ii/ and /uu/ are however not possible. Phonotactics The general syllable structure is CV©, without any restrictions on what consonants can appear as onset or coda. Stress and pitch The primary stress always falls on the first syllable of the main root (usually that's the verb root, but in nouns it's the first noun root). Secondary stress falls on incorporated noun roots, pronominal suffixes, and negative and interrogative suffixes. Primary stress is realised as an increase in both volume and pitch, while secondary stress is realised as an increase in pitch only. Morphophonology Several morphophonemic processes take place in the language: * A stop following another stop always agrees in voicing with the first one: bek + bįnol > bekpįnol. * A nasal consonants assimilates to the POA of the following consonant: ŋun + bǫj + -ʔa > ŋumbǫjʔa. * Clusters of an alveolar stop and a post-alveolar affricate, or a post-alveolar affricate and a (post-)alveolar fricative, become singe post-alveolar affricates: Balabąt + čiuhę- + tąkau + -he > Balabąčiuhętąkauhe. * /θ/ disappears next to other fricatives: þaþ + šouš > þašouš. * Geminated consonants simplify. Grammar Aspect An oddity of Gęčokaxʔa morphology is that there are two types of aspect markers: a prefix indicating inceptive/cessative aspect and a suffix indicating perfect/imperfect. These can be left out and combined to form a total of nine aspects. The aspect markers are: * męk- (inceptive) * ča- (cessative) * -ʔin (perfect) * -mi (imperfect) Pronominal suffixes There is also an indefinite suffix -ʔąʔ, which is used as a dummy subject when the actual subject is unknown or irrelevant. When the object is unknown, it is simply left out. These suffixes can be attached to nouns as well, which in English would mean "X is a Y". However, if the pronominal suffix is followed by the possessive suffix -ʔa, it means "X's Y". Pronominal suffixes are optional when a non-incorporated noun is present. Noun incorporation Nouns can be incorporated into the verb. Depending on their placement, incorporated nouns can serve as either a subject or an object. Incorporated subjects follow the verb root; objects precede it. Negatives and questions Negatives and questions are made with the suffixes -ki and -loh respectively. Causative Causatives are made by prefixing þį-. The causative prefix can come either before or after the inceptive/cessative prefix, with a minor difference in meaning, as the causative can refer to either the aspect prefix or the root. Compare these two sentences: Þįčakaʔhehe. þį-ča-kaʔ-he-he CAUS-CESS-know-3SG-3SG He causes him to stop knowing. Čaþįkaʔhehe. ča-þį-kaʔ-he-he CESS-CAUS-know-3SG-3SG He stopped causing him to know. Modality There are six moods in Gęčokaxʔa: indicative (-Ø), potential (-lǫb), optative (-nei), jussive (-ʔįte), conditional (-kąix) and hortative (-bud). Subordination A verb can be subordinated by adding the prefix čiuhę-. A subordinated verb can be attached to a noun to form a relative clause. Subordinated verbs can never be incorporated into verbs. Locatives There are two locative suffixes: the internal locative -mai and the external -ʔąk. As the names imply, the internal locative indicates that something is located inside something else whereas the external indicates that it is located outside it. As with all affixes, these can be added to both nouns and verbs. gočmai goč-mai house-INT.LOC in the house mękluiʔinheʔąk męk-lui-ʔin-he-ʔak INCEP-live-PERF-3SG-EXT.LOC near the place where he was born Numerals and quantifiers These behave like prefixes, thus one can say ląikmot for "one fish" and kiląifat for "four bears". Verbs can also be prefixed with numerals; this indicates how often something is done. Kǫʔaluinom. kǫʔal-lui-nom seven-live-cat Cats live seven times. Fųheuhe noxpat. fų-heu-he noxpat all-drink-3SG beer He always drinks beer. Examples Čakaʔinþųloh? ča-kaʔ-ʔin-þų-loh stop-know-PERF-1SG-Q Have I forgotten anything? Hupotʔalęxčočʔinaupotʔaki. hu-pot-ʔa-lęxčoč-ʔin-nau-pot-ʔa-ki brother-2SG-POSS-eat-PERF-father-2SG-POSS-NEG Your father hasn't eaten your brother. Čuičiuhęnauþųʔahe kaʔhe čiuhęgęčokaxʔamękaʔimpot. čui-čiuhę-nau-þų-ʔa-he kaʔ-he čiuhę-gęčo-kax-ʔa-męk-kaʔ-ʔin-pot man-SUBORD-father-1SG-POSS-3SG know-3SG SUBORD-language-1PL-POSS-start-know-PERF-2SG The man who is my father knows that you've learnt our language. Lexicon Balabąt n'' Brabant '''Balabąčiuhętąkauhe' n'' Flemish Brabant '''Balabąčiuhętąkauheki' n'' North Brabant '''bek' v'' to be sad '''bįnol' n'' king, leader, chief '''bǫj' n'' water 'čakaʔ''' v'' to forget 'čalui''' v'' to die 'čaluigaimai''' n'' west 'čaþaþ''' v'' to disappear 'čǫski''' n'' list 'čui''' n'' man, human '''dągos' n'' mammal '''dąuku' v'' to be blue '''dųš' n'' day '''fat' n'' bear '''fiki' n'' fool, idiot '''gai' n'' sun '''gaidųšʔamai' n'' south '''gęčo' n'' language '-gi''' encl conj but goč n'' house '''hąči' v'' to love '''heu' v'' to drink '''hotlę' n'' snake '''hu' n'' brother '''hųlų' n'' food '''jeiš' n'' sea '''joč' v'' to be old '''jouk' n'' truth '''kaʔ' v'' to know '''kal' n'' boy '-kęt''' encl conj because kilei n'' frog, amphibian '''kiþu' v'' to be big '''kolou' n'' sausage '''kuča' n'' dog '''laj' n'' mother '''laišpǫ' n'' moon '''latal' n'' change, difference '''lętai' n'' district, region, province '''lęxčoč' v'' to eat '''loŋol' n'' seal '''loutoi' n'' mountain '''lui' v'' to live, to be alive '''Mąjal' n'' Hungary '''mąki' v'' to greet '''matoi' adv now mękaʔ v'' to learn '''mękhąči' v'' to fall in love '''męklui' v'' to be born '''mękluigaimai' n'' east '''mękpǫku' v'' to fall asleep '''mękþaþ' v'' to appear '-mįt''' encl adv almost moŋ n'' type, species '''mot' n'' fish '''nait' v'' to be black '''nau' n'' father '''nęikal' v'' to speak, to talk '''Nęląd' n'' the Netherlands '''nom' n'' cat '''noxpat' n'' beer, wine 'ŋą''' n'' that 'ŋop-''' pref small ŋopŋun n'' small nation, city state 'ŋox''' v'' to see 'ŋumbǫjʔa''' n'' island 'ŋun''' n'' land, country '''pąda' n'' panda '''pai' n'' snow '''pątu' v'' to be young, to be new '''Peda' n'' Earth '-pen''' encl conj or pęŋa n'' river '''pǫku' v'' to sleep '''poʔǫ' v'' to be red '''pųt' n'' story, text '''Seuda' n'' Sweden '''sįč' v'' to be white '''siši' n'' small animal, insect '''soh' v'' to be good 'šąla''' v'' to be happy 'šeut''' n'' meat 'šog''' n'' this 'šouš''' n'' god, spirit, deity '''ta' v'' to be clever '''tą' n'' night '''tąkau' v'' to be strange '''tęu' n'' village '-toi''' encl conj and tǫk n'' bird '''toþ' n'' child '''xaʔ' v'' to be yellow '''xęgi' n'' lizard, crocodile '''xil' n'' rain 'þaþ''' v'' to exist 'þaþgaikimai''' n'' north 'þįbek''' v'' to sadden 'þįčalui''' v'' to kill 'þįkaʔ''' v'' to teach 'þįlęxčoč''' v'' to feed 'þįlui''' v'' to give birth 'þite''' n'' eye 'þįþaþ''' v'' to create 'þǫbąš''' n'' stone 'ʔalkoʔol''' n'' alcohol 'ʔamelka''' n'' America 'ʔaša''' n'' Asia 'ʔęit-''' pref big ʔęitkoč n'' castle 'ʔęitŋun''' n'' continent 'ʔęląd''' n'' England 'ʔelopa''' n'' Europe 'ʔeþ''' n'' sister 'ʔįja''' n'' India '-ʔil''' encl conj if ʔoltǫ n'' barbarian 'ʔuiki''' n'' wiki 'ʔukląina''' n Ukraine External link * Gęčokaxʔa Wiki Category:Languages